Automatic car-brake



(No Model.)

0. VAN DUSEN.

AUTOMATIO GAR-BRAKE.

No. 269,142. Patented Dec. 12, 1882.

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ATTORNEYS.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES VAN DUSEN, OF NEW ALBANY, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TO WILLIAM L. BREYFOGLE, OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY.

AUTOMATIC CAR-BRAKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 269,142, dated December 12, 1882. Application tiled September 15, 1882. (No model.)

' To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES VAN DUsEN, of New Albany, in the county of Floyd and State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Automatic Gar-Brakes for Railroad-Trains, of which the followingis a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the annexed drawings, forming part of this specification.

The object of this invention is to provide a brake for railroad-cars which shall be operated by the momentum of the train at the will of the engineer.

In the drawings, Figure l is a side elevation of a portion of a railway-train, showing the application of my brake, and Figs. 2 and 3 are detail views.

A indicates a heavy bar of iron, having a buffer, a, at one end and a rack-bar, or, extending from near the center to the opposite end, and supported underneath the draw-head in suitable hangers, B; The bar A is so arranged that the buffer a will just touch the buifer of a corresponding bar on the next adjacent car when the two coupled draw-heads are compressed by checking the speed of the train. It is designed that the bar shall be capable of a longitudinal movement of about one foot eachway.

A grooved cog-wheel, O, is secured upon the brake-rod D in such manner that it may engage with the rack-barn, and a chain, E, connected to the inner end of the bar or rod A, passes over the grooved wheel, and is connected to the end of'a rod, F, which connects the bar A at one end of the car with a similar bar at the opposite end. With this construction, when one of the bars A of a car is forced inward it draws the connecting-rod F toward that end of the car, and the connect ing-rod thus forces the other bar A outward at the opposite end of the car. When the bars A are forced outward or inward they will be returned to their normal position by suitable springs, G, arranged thereon. When the bars A are moved longitudinally the brakerods D are rotated by the racks and pinions, and the chains H, connecting the brake-levers I with the brake-rods, are wound on the latter-or unwound, as the case may be.

The chains H are connected to the brakerods by means of rigid eyes or loops h, which are made sufficiently long to take up the slack of the brakes on the first half-revolution of the rods.

Each car is to be constructed with as above described. I

The tender J, which is to be coupled longer than usual, is provided with a pivoted bumper, K, which is adapted to be turned down to a horizontal position in line with the drawhead of the next adjacent car, in such manner that the said car shall be kept about one foot farther to the rear than ordinarily, and to this bumper K is connected the bar A on the tender, which is formed with ajoint at It, to adapt it for being moved toa horizontal position or let down, according as the bumper K is moved. The rod A on the tender extends, when in a horizontal position, about one foot farther to the rear than the draw-head, so

that when the adjacent car is the length of the bumper K to the rear the buffers a ofthe tender and car will be about the same distance apart as those of any ofthe other cars.

The longitudinal movement of the bar A on the tender is to be limited to one or two inches, and the bar, when pushed forward, isrto rest against a partof the frame-work strong enough to bear the pressure. When pushed forward the distance stated, the bar A will carry with it the short arm of the lever L, the long arm of which is to be connected by the chain M with the brake-lever of the tender or engine.'

If the train is in motion and the brakes are to be applied, the engineer is to raise the pivoted bumper K by means of a lever, which is to be connected thereto in any suitable manner, and thus place the swinging part of the bar A of the tender in a horizontal position ready for operation, the buffer aof the tender being on a line with and close to the buffer a of the adjacent car. It the engine is now checked, the momentum of the train causes the car N to advance the distance it was held back by the bumper K until its drawhead is pressed against that of the tender J. As the buffers a of the car N and tender J were almost in con tact before the car N advanced the length of the bumper K, it followsthat the rods A must be displaced nearly the same distance when the momentum of the train is brought to bear upon them. Thus the bar A on the tender yields one or two inches, as may be required, and the brakes on the tender are thereby set, while the bar A on the forward end of the car N yields the balance of the total displacement due to the momentum of the train, and thus sets the brakes on said car. At the same time the bar A at the rear ofcar N is forced rearward by the action of the racks and pinions and their connecting-rod, and the bar A of the next car impinges against it and is made to yield in its turn and set the brakes on said car. In this manner the operation is repeated through all the cars to the rear of the train. Starting the engine forward releases all the brakes, and by dropping the bumper K to its horizontal position the train will again be in order. It the train is backin g and the brakes are wanted, the bumper K is raised and the engine is given a little more steam. Thus the brakes will be operated in the same manner as when the draw-heads of the tender andcar are forced together by the momentum of aforward-moving train.

No coupling between the cars is needed for this brake, but to provide for the train parting accidentally 1 have added a safety appliance which will set the brakes in such emergeucy. This consists simply of a chain, 0, having one end secured to the buffer a of the bar A and passed over a pulley, 0, attached to one of the hangers B, and having its opposite end provided with a suitable spring-catch adapted to engage with a catch on a corresponding chain 011 the next car. In making up the train these catches are joined together, but not no part unless the train becomes uncoupled, in which case, as the cars separate, the strain on the chains 0 draws the bars A back under their respective cars, whereby the brakes are set on both parts of the train.

A dog, 00, is pivoted to the hanger B near the pulley O. The small chain 2, which is to be a little shorter than the chain 0, connects the dog with a suitable spring-catch, 3 Just before the chain 0 is drawn out its full length by the separating of the cars the strain comes upon the small chain z,drawing down the dog 00, and it is also to release the spring-catch The dog 00, pinching the chain 0 between the pulley 0 and itself, holds the bar A under the car, and the brakes remain set until released.

The spring-catch 3 being released in this manner, the cars may separate without injury to the brakes.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,

J The combination, with the brake-lever, the brake-rod, and the rack-bar and butter, of the grooved cog-wheel, mounted on the brake-rod and adapted to be operated by the movement of the rack-bar and bufl'er, and a chain connected to the rack-bar and passing over the grooved cog-wheel to a brake mechanism at the opposite end of the car, substantially as shown and described.

2. The combination of the brake-lever, the brake-rod having a rigid loop for connecting the lever-chain thereto, the grooved cog-wheels at opposite ends of the car, the rack-bars and butters, and the connecting-rod having chains at the ends passing over the grooved cogwheels and secured to the said bars, respectively, substantially as shown and described.

3. The combination of the flexibly-jointed bu fer-bar, secured to the tender and connected to a pivoted bumper, K, with the rack-bar and buffer, constructed and arranged as described, and attached to a car in the rear of the tender, substantially as specified.

4. The combination, with the bars A of two coupled cars, of the safety appliance consisting of the chains connected to each other and to the bars A,respectively, and the pulleys carrying the chains, substantially as shown and described.

5. The combination, with the bars A of the tender and its next adjacent car, of the bumper K, pivoted between said tender and car, and adapted to be supported in a horizontal position or moved out of such position at will, substantially as and for the purpose described.

6. The combination, with the bar A on the car N, of the bar A on the tender extending back of the draw-head, and the pivoted bumper K on the tender, whereby the brakes shall be set when the bumper K is removed without any other motive power than the momentum of the train, substantially as specified.

' CHARLES VAN DUSEN.

Witnesses:

J. S. BEELER, JAMES L. MCNAMEE. 

